Liberating charities in their fight against AIDS

By Tom Lamberti
on December 18, 2008

December 1st marked World AIDS
Day, a day created to honour those who have courageously fought against
HIV/AIDS in Canada and throughout the world. To commemorate the occasion,
McGill students, local Professors and community activists gathered in the Lev
Bukhman room on the McGill University campus to discuss public policy options
that would help those fighting HIV/AIDS.

McGill student and former Fraser
Institute intern for charitable and voluntary sector issues Tim Mak pointed out
that one of the major challenges

in the fight against HIV/AIDS is
the need to further support charities focused on researching a cure and
supporting those who are living with this condition. What is most notable about
Mr. Mak's approach was that he proposed a unique alternative to the current
norm, which usually revolves around lobbying for increased government funding
for social spending programs.

Instead, Tim Mak argued that
private charitable organizations were preferable for four reasons. First, competition
between charities for donations creates real incentives for more efficient
performance. Second, charities generally have specific goals and are closer to
the problems they are trying to fix than government bureaucrats. As a result,
they are more adaptable to changing circumstances on the ground. Third,
charities are crucial to the creation of a sense of community. Finally,
charities allow for personal freedom in that no one is ever forced to give to a
cause they do not support.

Tim is right in supporting
charities over government programs. Studies have shown that government funding
for charities can undermine personal voluntary initiatives and reduce private
charitable giving because potential volunteers and donors think the government
is taking care of the problem.

This crowding out effect has been
estimated to cost as much as 53 cents in lost private contributions for every
dollar in public funding received.

To address the ongoing HIV/AIDS
situation in Canada, Mr. Mak suggested that the best solution was to bring
personal initiative to the forefront through greater tax incentives for
charities. In order to increase charitable giving, he argued that the
government should drastically increase the amount of tax credits given to those
who donate to charities. This would have the secondary effect of increasing
individual autonomy over our taxes. As Tim mentioned at the event, "we
will all still have to pay taxes, but now we get to personally direct our tax
dollars to where we think it matters most - supporting causes like
HIV/AIDS."

In addition, Mak suggested that
charities need to be objectively evaluated for efficiency and effectiveness in
their program outcomes. Fortunately, there is already a system in place to
allow for this. The Donner Canadian Foundation currently maintains a program
that analyzes data submitted by charities at no cost and provides suggestions
for better adherence to practices that have been identified as the best in the
Canadian charitable sector.

Some might argue that Mr. Mak's approach
was an unnecessary adherence to dogmatic free-market policies and didn't
include any suggestions as to how the government could get more directly
involved in the battle against HIV/AIDS. What the policies proposed do achieve,
however, is a clear and accountable alternative to what is often inefficient
and wasteful government spending.